Björn Natthiko Lindeblad

The Power of Awareness

Björn Natthiko Lindeblad emphasizes the transformative power of awareness, which he describes as a state of being fully present in the moment. He recounts an early experience at his grandparents' house where he felt a profound sense of presence and beauty, describing it as the world whispering, 'Welcome home.' This moment of awareness made him feel completely at home on the planet, highlighting the importance of being present and mindful. Lindeblad contrasts this with the term 'mindfulness,' which he feels can sound like hard work, preferring instead the term 'awareness' to describe a state of conscious presence that allows everything to be exactly as it is.

Practice Conscious Breathing

Take time each day to focus on your breathing. Imagine your breath as a wave rising and falling within your body. This simple practice can help create a sense of calm and distance from anxious thoughts.

From now on, one of your guiding principles will be to become someone whose company you have a slightly easier time enduring.

Knowledge is proud of all it knows. Wisdom is humble before all it doesn’t know.

It filled me with awe that this encounter with my own helplessness was the key that once more opened the door to joy.

I’ve done nothing unforgivable, nothing I deeply regret or haven’t been able to put right.

Having an actual date was obviously very strange. Never had time felt more limited.

It has become more important than ever to live right here right now in every moment, instead of getting lost in thoughts about what things should be like or what might be.

Choosing where to direct your attention may sound easy, but I’ll be the first to admit how extremely difficult it can be.

What I value most from my seventeen years of full-time spiritual training is that I no longer believe my every thought. That’s my superpower.

It was as though the world was whispering: ‘Welcome home.’ For the first time, I felt completely at home on this planet.

Success and happiness are two different things. To others, it must have seemed I’d played my cards right. I had all the trappings of material and professional success. But I’d done it with sheer willpower and self-discipline.

Thoughts are not a problem in and of themselves, of course. But automatically, uncritically identifying with every passing thought – that’s a huge problem.

Success vs. Fulfillment

Lindeblad shares his journey from being a successful but unfulfilled businessman to finding deeper meaning in life. Despite having all the trappings of success—a high-paying job, a company car, and a luxurious lifestyle—he felt a persistent sense of dissatisfaction and anxiety. He realized that success and happiness are not synonymous, and that true fulfillment comes from feeling connected to others and finding meaning in one's work. This realization led him to quit his job and seek a path that nourished his deeper self, ultimately guiding him towards spiritual growth and personal development.

Letting Go of Thoughts

One of the most valuable lessons Lindeblad learned during his time as a Buddhist forest monk is the ability to let go of thoughts. He describes this as a 'superpower' that everyone possesses but often loses sight of. By turning attention away from thoughts and focusing on something simpler, like breathing, one can create a healing break from inner chaos. This practice helps in realizing that while we have thoughts, we are not our thoughts. Lindeblad underscores the importance of not being hypnotized by every passing thought and learning to direct attention towards more calming and grounding experiences.

The Intelligence of the Moment

Lindeblad introduces the concept of 'the intelligence of the moment,' which he equates to intuition or wisdom. This inner voice, often accessed through meditation, provides clarity and guidance beyond logical reasoning. He shares a personal anecdote about a moment of clarity he experienced on a sofa in Spain, illustrating how this inner wisdom can lead to significant life decisions, such as his choice to leave a prestigious job. He argues that while reason has given us many societal advancements, it is crucial to also listen to our inner wisdom to find true contentment and direction.

The Role of Inner Beauty

Lindeblad reflects on his time as a hermit and how it led him to appreciate inner beauty over physical appearance. He notes, 'I feel a lot more beautiful than I look,' emphasizing that living an ethical life and cultivating qualities like generosity, empathy, and compassion can make one feel more beautiful internally. This realization came from his mindful practices and ethical living, which helped him see beyond superficial flaws and appreciate his inner self.

Facing Mortality with Integrity

Lindeblad's diagnosis of ALS forces him to confront his mortality head-on. He describes the emotional turmoil and the duality of his experience—feeling both despair and a calm acceptance. This acceptance stems from his life lived with integrity, allowing him to face death without regrets. He writes, 'I can calmly take stock and say I’ve done nothing unforgivable, nothing I deeply regret or haven’t been able to put right.' This idea is illustrated through his reflections on his life choices and the peace he finds in knowing he has lived a good life.

The Power of Forgiveness

Lindeblad emphasizes the transformative power of forgiveness, not just for the person being forgiven but for the one who forgives. He argues that holding onto grudges and bitterness can harm one's mental well-being. 'What happens when you close your heart to someone? That person may not be visibly harmed, but you are. It makes you a little bit smaller.' By letting go of past grievances, individuals can free themselves from the negative emotions that weigh them down. This idea is illustrated through the story of a senior monk who remained bitter about a past injustice for over two decades, showing how unresolved anger can persist and affect one's life.

Seek Meaningful Connections

Evaluate your work and personal life to ensure they provide a sense of connection and meaning. If they don't, consider making changes that align more closely with your deeper values and needs.

Embrace Trust and Letting Go

Learn to trust the process and let go of the need to control every aspect of your life. This can open up opportunities and lead to positive experiences you might not have anticipated.

Express Gratitude Regularly

Make it a habit to express your appreciation to those around you. This can strengthen relationships and enhance your own sense of well-being.

Let Go of Grudges

Actively work on forgiving those who have wronged you. This can free you from the burden of negative emotions and improve your mental health.

Ever since I was little, I’d had a voice inside me whispering I wasn’t good enough.

Don’t believe your every thought.

Practicing letting go is one of the most important things I’ve learned.

I may be wrong. So simple. So True. So easy to forget.

Our psychological suffering is for the most part not caused by external events but, rather, by what’s happening inside us – the thoughts bubbling up that we can either believe or not.

Chaos may rattle you, but order can kill you.

Thoughts with the word ‘should’ in them make me small, dull and lonely.

Most of us like helping others. When a straightforward opportunity to do so arises, we don’t mind at all.

I’m not afraid of death, I just don’t feel ready to stop living.

The universe makes no mistakes.

The world is not as it is. The world is as you are.

Reconciling ourselves to what has happened isn’t mainly about being the bigger person. It’s about protecting our own mental wellbeing.

Choosing where to direct your attention may sound easy, but I’ll be the first to admit how extremely difficult it can be. When we first start to try to focus on our breathing, most of our minds behave like frantic yo-yos.

A lot of people in our part of the world live with the continual grumblings of a harsh inner critic... We often carry around a feeling of not measuring up, a fear of being ‘found out’.

We just have to understand that these are thoughts – not truths.

Directing our attention, choosing what we aim it at, is the best and possibly the only thing we can do when things get really hard.

Only dead people have quiet minds. For as long as we’re alive, we’re in possession of an intellect, and the nature of the human intellect is to generate ideas, compare those ideas with others, reformulate them, question them.

When we believe everything we think, it leaves us vulnerable and defenceless. On every level. And it erodes our wisdom.

It’s so easy to forget that reason isn’t the only tool in our toolbox.

We all have access to the intelligence of the moment. There’s a finely honed, quiet compass inside each of us.

If you want someone to be easy to deal with, to behave in a way you find tolerable, there’s really only one way: learn to like them exactly as they are.

Rituals and ceremonies have no intrinsic meaning. We endow them with meaning.

If we always cling to what we think we already know, how will we ever discover anything new?

The structured yet simple life in the monastery, with its emphasis on routine and minimal possessions, provided a restful and focused environment.

The only way to get rid of thoughts that are harming us... is to let them go. Even if they’re ‘right’.

Imagine what the world could look like if most people, for the most part, remembered that they might be wrong.

Being right is never the point.

From now on, one of your guiding principles will be to become someone whose company you have a slightly easier time enduring.

Knowledge is proud of all it knows. Wisdom is humble before all it doesn’t know.

It filled me with awe that this encounter with my own helplessness was the key that once more opened the door to joy.

I’ve done nothing unforgivable, nothing I deeply regret or haven’t been able to put right.

Having an actual date was obviously very strange. Never had time felt more limited.

It has become more important than ever to live right here right now in every moment, instead of getting lost in thoughts about what things should be like or what might be.

Choosing where to direct your attention may sound easy, but I’ll be the first to admit how extremely difficult it can be.

What I value most from my seventeen years of full-time spiritual training is that I no longer believe my every thought. That’s my superpower.

It was as though the world was whispering: ‘Welcome home.’ For the first time, I felt completely at home on this planet.

Success and happiness are two different things. To others, it must have seemed I’d played my cards right. I had all the trappings of material and professional success. But I’d done it with sheer willpower and self-discipline.

Thoughts are not a problem in and of themselves, of course. But automatically, uncritically identifying with every passing thought – that’s a huge problem.

Ever since I was little, I’d had a voice inside me whispering I wasn’t good enough.

Don’t believe your every thought.

Practicing letting go is one of the most important things I’ve learned.

I may be wrong. So simple. So True. So easy to forget.

Our psychological suffering is for the most part not caused by external events but, rather, by what’s happening inside us – the thoughts bubbling up that we can either believe or not.

Chaos may rattle you, but order can kill you.

Thoughts with the word ‘should’ in them make me small, dull and lonely.

Most of us like helping others. When a straightforward opportunity to do so arises, we don’t mind at all.

I’m not afraid of death, I just don’t feel ready to stop living.

The universe makes no mistakes.

The world is not as it is. The world is as you are.

Reconciling ourselves to what has happened isn’t mainly about being the bigger person. It’s about protecting our own mental wellbeing.

Choosing where to direct your attention may sound easy, but I’ll be the first to admit how extremely difficult it can be. When we first start to try to focus on our breathing, most of our minds behave like frantic yo-yos.

A lot of people in our part of the world live with the continual grumblings of a harsh inner critic... We often carry around a feeling of not measuring up, a fear of being ‘found out’.

We just have to understand that these are thoughts – not truths.

Directing our attention, choosing what we aim it at, is the best and possibly the only thing we can do when things get really hard.

Only dead people have quiet minds. For as long as we’re alive, we’re in possession of an intellect, and the nature of the human intellect is to generate ideas, compare those ideas with others, reformulate them, question them.

When we believe everything we think, it leaves us vulnerable and defenceless. On every level. And it erodes our wisdom.

It’s so easy to forget that reason isn’t the only tool in our toolbox.

We all have access to the intelligence of the moment. There’s a finely honed, quiet compass inside each of us.

If you want someone to be easy to deal with, to behave in a way you find tolerable, there’s really only one way: learn to like them exactly as they are.

Rituals and ceremonies have no intrinsic meaning. We endow them with meaning.

If we always cling to what we think we already know, how will we ever discover anything new?

The structured yet simple life in the monastery, with its emphasis on routine and minimal possessions, provided a restful and focused environment.

The only way to get rid of thoughts that are harming us... is to let them go. Even if they’re ‘right’.

Imagine what the world could look like if most people, for the most part, remembered that they might be wrong.

Being right is never the point.